Easter

Easter was so different growing up than it is as a single woman of 38. I'm not just talking about the bunnies or chocolate or any of the kid stuff, I'm talking about family and traditions. 

I grew up with generations of family near me. We lived in the same house as my grandma and my aunt and cousin were a few blocks away. Family was so important and played such a large part of my life growing up. Our house was a block away from a church. Holy Week starting with Palm Sunday was full of traditions. We'd go to church early on Palm Sunday and come home with hands of palm to craft into crosses and braids to give out to friends and family. We would sit around the kitchen table and drink coffee while all the women made beautiful works of art out of the palm. It was awesome! After we would go to the cemetery and visit Papa and decorate his grave for the spring. 

Then all week I would be going to church, Holy Thursday then Good Friday, while mom and grandma would be cooking and preparing goodies for Easter. The house smelled so good between Easter bread and pizzarustica that I couldn't wait until we could eat meat again. The whole family would come over Sunday and dinner would be glorious. 

Now, mom is dead, grandma too.. I haven't been to the cemetery in years and this was the first year I didn't go to church at all. It's sad. I miss the family I had as a child. I know I was so fortunate to have them for as long as I did. It's times like these that I wish I had a family of my own. I would continue to do the things my mom and grandma did, and hope that my children love it as much as I did. 

I could use some of your love today babe, maybe I wouldn't feel so alone and sad. I miss you mom. I miss you grandma. I miss you babe. 

I love you all so much. 

Happy Easter